LeBron James signing 2yr deal with the Sixers

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7417464/2026/07/24/lebron-james-contract-76ers-free-agency/

LeBron James has found the next stop in his historic NBA career.

The league’s all-time leading scorer has agreed to join the Philadelphia 76ers, he announced Friday on social media, beginning the record 24th season of a career that has already redefined longevity and greatness. The deal is for two years and $8 million, a league source with direct knowledge of the agreement told The Athletic on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly — the minimum for a veteran of James’ service.

“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James wrote on X. “This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family … I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.”

James, 41, based his decision on his belief that the Sixers, above any potential suitor, presented the best chance for him to win a fifth championship, said a source close to James on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about the NBA all-time leading scorer’s internal deliberations. Philadelphia’s stunning acquisition of All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown via trade with the Boston Celtics made the Sixers an even more attractive destination than they already were. James will now join Brown, former NBA MVP Joel Embiid, All-Star Tyrese Maxey, rising second-year guard VJ Edgecombe and championship coach Nick Nurse.

James told his agent, Rich Paul, to inform the Sixers of his decision Friday morning, shortly before his announcement. No one in James’ immediate circle of advisers knew of his choice before Friday morning, and the other suitors — the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves — did not immediately hear from Paul.

In fact, Fanatics-owned trading card company Topps appeared to be first to break LeBron’s move to the Sixers on X by a matter of seconds. LeBron has an exclusive partnership with Fanatics and teased his impending announcement several times while attending Fanatics Fest in New York City last week.

A source close to James said the lengthy nature of his free agency decision had nothing to do with the attention or the drama, or, for that matter, any pursuits of potentially teaming up with friends who were not currently on any of the teams in which James was interested. James was not holding out for the Warriors, or someone else, to trade for Anthony Davis, or for the Dallas Mavericks to somehow make Kyrie Irving available.

All of it was in the service of winning a championship,” the source said. “Additionally, he’s had the privilege of playing for three incredible fanbases in Cleveland, Miami, and L.A., and he’s excited about playing in front of the passionate fanbase in Philadelphia.”

Maxey and Embiid doggedly pursued James over the last few weeks, those sources said, with both players placing multiple phone calls to attempt to sway him.

James, who will turn 42 in December, informed the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this summer that he would not return to the franchise, ending an eight-year run that included the 2020 NBA championship, a Western Conference finals appearance and countless milestones that include becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

The move gives the 76ers one of the greatest players in league history, even as James enters the final stage of his career. He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds last season while adapting to a reduced role alongside Luka Dončić, then guided an injury-depleted Lakers team to the second round of the playoffs. James shot 51.5 percent from the field while extending his streak of averaging at least 20 points per game to all 23 seasons of his career.

“We fell a little short obviously, but I’m not looking at my year as a disappointment, that’s for damn sure,” James said after the Lakers’ season ended. “I was put into some positions I never played in my career. … I’ve never been a third option in my life.”

Last July, Paul, James’ agent, publicly acknowledged that the four-time NBA champion was evaluating the teams that gave him the best chance to compete for another title at this stage of his career.

“He wants to make every season he has left count,” Paul told The Athletic at the time.

James’ decision ends an era that featured a Lakers revival after several poor seasons in the 2010s while beginning another chapter for a player who has spent more than two decades reshaping expectations for NBA longevity.

Philly cements contender status

James chose the 76ers for one reason, according to league sources. He feels he can win a championship in Philly. When James officially informed the Lakers of his intent to become an unrestricted free agent, he asked himself the following question: At this stage of my career, where can I win a fifth NBA championship?

At the end of the day, that answer became Philadelphia. James knows this is likely his last stop. He also knows his basketball happiness, which was cited as a major factor in wherever he would end up, equates to winning at a high level. The 76ers became that basketball happiness, league sources tell The Athletic.

The 76ers now, at least on paper, have their best team and best chance to win a title since 2001, when Allen Iverson had his MVP season.

James immediately becomes Philadelphia’s power forward, starting opposite Brown. Because Maxey is capable of playing off the ball, James’ playmaking becomes important to the 76ers. With Maxey, Brown and Embiid, James can blend without having to shoulder substantial offensive responsibility.

The 76ers weren’t viewed as a primary threat by some of the other teams in the process.

But James has long held interest in Philadelphia. One of his teammates with the Lakers recalled a conversation he had with James where the NBA’s all-time leading scorer said he gave serious consideration to playing with the 76ers in 2018 when he chose Los Angeles in unrestricted free agency.